I guess now my loyalties are truly tested. I have to admit, there's no way I can cheer for Ryan Kesler and Team USA over Canada on Friday—though it certainly looks like the Canadians could have their hands full.
I didn't get to see a second of either the Canada or U.S. game today due to my figure skating duties, but I was up at 4:30 a.m. to liveblog Russia/Finland in its entirety.
Unlike the Canucks, the Russians were able to apply plenty of pressure in the third period; I think they had 13 shots. But Varlamov was shaky in net—he allowed 3 goals on 15 shots before getting replaced by Bobrovsky midway through the game—and Tuukka Rask was rock-solid. That was the biggest difference.
With Russia's odd blend of NHL and KHL players, I figured the Russian coach knew something I didn't, but in the end, it didn't seem that way. The fact that he kept rolling his lines late in the game when the team desperately needed goals was especially curious—or maybe I've simply become too accustomed to watching Tortorella play his top players as much as he possibly can?
I might have been a little more concerned about Latvia than most of you. I was a believer in Switzerland, so I think it was quite an accomplishment for them to beat the Swiss, and I saw them play some pretty feisty hockey against Sweden.
I guess the Latvian goaltender was the difference today. I am relieved that Canada is through, but impressed with what the Latvians delivered just like I was with Slovakia back in 2010.
Speaking of respect for the Latvians, in Tuesday's comments, Fosco mentioned:
Hey Carol,
No mention of Canucks prospect Ronalds Kenins' solid effort for Latvia in the elimination of the Swiss today ;)
Didn't score, but he was great on the forecheck, threw some good hits, and played most of the game in the offensive zone.
Could end up being a solid pickup.
Nice catch—thank you! I didn't realize we had an investment in the Latvian team.
Kenins is a 6'4," 22-year-old forward who currently plays in the Swiss League. He was signed this summer as a free agent. Could he be another one of Mike Gillis' under-the-radar acquisitions?
He didn't have a point in the Olympics, but Kenins is having his best offensive year to date with the Zurich Lions: he has seven goals and 24 points in 36 games.
Canuck Olympic performances:
Elliott Pap did a great job of keeping an eye on Vancouver's Olympians today:
It sounds like Daniel, Edler and Kesler are all continuing to play well.
I noticed that Hamhuis didn't get one second of ice time in the third period today but I won't complain about that—I'm a bit surprised he dressed at all.
Mike Babcock does seem committed to dressing 13 forwards and seven defensemen, while it looks like the European strategy behind the 20-man roster is to dress 12 forwards and eight D—to build four complete five-man units.
The Canadian women will play the U.S. for the gold medal on Thursday at 9:00 am, then the men's semifinals go Friday.
Sweden will play Finland at 4 a.m. PT, then Canada and the U.S. face off at 9.
I'll talk more about the matchup tomorrow.
Back at Practice:
I'll also talk more about the news from the Canucks' first post-break practice this afternoon. So far, we know that the team is so desperately undermanned that they had to call in players from UBC to fill the holes.
The injury situation doesn't sound much better than when we left off. None of the walking wounded has returned to the lineup yet:
Iain MacIntyre of the
Vancouver Sun has a new interview with Tortorella, who says that Henrik, Bieksa and Tanev should be well enough to practise this weekend.
Click here to read.
Yes, there's been lots of dog-walking. No, there's no word about the mysterious hospital photo or Torts' injury of his own. But there is some other interesting information. While Mike Gillis and Laurence Gilman continue to stay the course, Torts at least seems interested in trying new things in hopes of getting different results. We'll see if it comes to pass once play resumes.
1994 Canucks to Reunite at Heritage Classic:
As the Olympics are (already!) winding into their final days, the NHL is starting to turn its marketing muscle towards its last two outdoor games of the year, in Chicago and Vancouver.
On Thursday, the Canucks announced that most of the 1994 team that came within one game of the Stanley Cup will be reuniting at the Heritage Classic.
Here are the details:
Gathering 16 players from a roster from 20 years ago is impressive, but among the missing names—the team's most recent honoree, Pavel Bure. Nice to see Pat Quinn included in the proceedings.
They're being a bit coy about what the players will be up to, but I wouldn't expect an alumni game like we see at the Winter Classic. More likely, they'll be introduced before the game and will make a few other public appearances over the course of the weekend.
Any guesses on who the musical guests will be?
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